Search This Blog

Subscribe to this blog

Follow by Email

The Return of Jake

Long ago when my children were small I made a scarecrow for Halloween. We named him Jake. He was with us for many years but as my children got older Jake did too and somewhere along the way Jake bought the farm, so to speak. Recently my 25 years old son and my 24 years old daughter and I were reminiscing about Jake when we decided to bring him back! Above is the table where the operation began.

We started with what else but a bale of straw.

And a pair of pantyhose. Jake is not a cross dressing scarecrow. The pantyhose are actually functional.

I, once again, forgot to photograph the previous step. We stuffed the panty hose with straw and the legs of the pantyhose became Jake's arms and the butt part became his head. Hehe...Jake is a butt head!!!

We took an old denim shirt and after inserting the stuffed pantyhose we continue to stuff the shirt to 'fill Jake out'.

I use whole straw flakes to give him support.

The shirt is then buttoned up.

And I attach the head to the shirt with safety pins which adds additional support.

Oops... me thinks Jake ate a bit too much straw!! He has a straw belly.

The pant legs are tied with twine to hold in the straw.

The shirt is stuffed into the pants and then I tie twine suspenders from belt loop to belt loop across his back.

This adds additional support and helps hold him together. Fancy shirt you got there Jake!

Here is the roughed out Jake. He looks like Gary Sinise in Forest Gump when he was waddling around with no legs.

Oh no...Jake is on the way to the gallows. Not really, he is just being fitted for a face! I used an old grain sack.

After stitching a nose made from a bandanna and a mouth made from felt, Jake's personality begins to emerge.

Hellooooo Jake!!!

Jake's hands are stuffed with straw and he is now wearing a straw wig. The rest of the bandanna becomes a pocket square and check out his leather thrift shop braces (suspenders). After Jake finds his Fall throne I will post pics of his regal self!! Dr. Jakenstein has done it again!!!

Here are some new Fall magazines I found at the grocery store today.

Btw....I am updating the blog for Fall so expect a new look very soon!

As you can see we are having a few technical difficulties which will be remedied soon!

Oh, what a great 'tutorial' on creating a scarecrow!! Jake is a delight. In one of my cottage garden books, the author talks about the scarecrows she saw in France that were wearing vintage clothes, big skirts, hats . . . I so want to do one like that!! Will keep you 'posted' :) I'm sending a link to this post to my dau-in law - think she & her kids would enjoy making one!!

This is a fabulous salad and will be great to serve during hot weather.

I found cucumbers on sale 3 for 1.00 so I made this for the shelter. I will give you the recipe in which you use 4 cucumbers.

Bring 2 cups of white vinegar and 1-1/2 cups of sugar to a boil along with 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of celery seeds and 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Boil it until the sugar dissolves then turn off the heat.

Throw in 2 cups of ice cubes and let them melt.

Thinly slice 4 cucumbers, 1 large red onion and 1 large green pepper.

Pack them tightly in a jar.

Pour the liquid over them and close the jar. These will keep for a couple months in the fridge. I tucked in some garlic cloves and fresh dill as well.

I have received a lot of emails recently asking me about how I make my garden totems. I thought that it is the right time of year to show you and I actually have been making some recently.

I went to thrift stores looking for pieces for the totems and happened to find this cool cement piece for $1.95. Not used for a totem but fun anyway.

I always look for this type of plate to use as a base. These plates actually have small feet on them so you can anchor them into the soil. The decorations on this plate are on the underside and the top surface is flat. It is important to have a flat surface to get a solid seal with the glue. I have used all types of glue but find that aquarium glue works best. I never pay over $2.95 for these plates.

This is a heavy vase from Ikea that I found in a thrift store for 99 cents. These large clear pieces are good to use as stems on the totems especially if you want to add a bird or flowers or something as decorations.